City Council voted unanimously Oct. 29 to approve land use changes required to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory.
The vote marks a major turning point after two past attempts to redevelop the historic landmark failed, partly due to a lack of community support.
The current proposal by 8th Regiment Partners won widespread approval from residents, city leaders and elected officials following a yearslong community engagement effort that culminated in the Together for Kingsbridge vision plan.
Beginning in 2026, the armory, which has sat mostly vacant for years, will be transformed into a multi-use building with a large-capacity event venue, food hall, retail, community space, arcade, sports fields, light manufacturing facility and more.
The project’s second phase will create approximately 500 units of affordable housing next to the armory, where rent for three-bedroom units will start at $1,300 per month, according to Andrew Kimball, CEO and president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), which is overseeing the project.
The redevelopment is backed by $215 million in city, state and federal dollars. The developer also committed to a $130 million community benefits package that includes local hiring goals of 20% in the first two years and 40% thereafter, deeply affordable apartment rents, union labor with prevailing wages and benefits, along with commercial space prioritized for local businesses and street vendors at below-market rents.
Once completed, the armory is projected to spur $2.6 billion in economic impact, including 3,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs.
Before the council’s stated meeting on Oct. 29, Council Member Pierina Sanchez said the current armory plan was created with the benefit of hindsight. “We know what tanked the project in the past, and we strove to make sure this go-round is different.”
Though the current project received broad support, it has not been completely free of controversy.
Agallas Equities LLC, one of the losing bidders, filed a lawsuit against the city, NYCEDC and Bronx elected officials, alleging favoritism and conflict of interest in the contract awards process.
Residents at public hearings have also expressed concerns about traffic congestion, noise, pollution and safety of the light manufacturing facility if it becomes a semiconductor plant, a possibility that Mayor Eric Adams has publicly floated.
Bronx resident Chad Royer, executive member of the Parent Association at P.S. 86, wrote a May letter to the Department of Education’s Panel for Educational Policy expressing concerns about environmental and health hazards of a potential semiconductor plant. “The Bronx already bears NYC’s highest pollution burden. Adding a fabrication plant near schools (disproportionately serving Black, Latino, and low-income students) is indefensible,” he wrote.
Displacement of existing residents, businesses and street vendors has also been a major concern, and throughout hearings and negotiations, community leaders have pressured the developer to build in protections for vulnerable people in the neighborhood.
“This is a hard line for us,” council member Sanchez previously said at a council hearing on the armory. “If the promises of the past are not kept, we’re not going to be able to have a productive conversation going forward.”
‘Turning potential into promise’
At a rally before the council meeting, Sanchez said that as a lifelong Kingsbridge resident, the armory “has been a reflection of the immense potential of our community and the pain of decades of disinvestment” and that now the city is “finally turning that potential into promise.”
Sanchez dedicated her vote to two Kingsbridge residents who died before their time — Nicholas Feliz Dominici, an infant who died in Sept. 2023 from fentanyl exposure at his daycare and Pamela Almonte Cabrera, a 35-year-old who was fatally stabbed outside the armory just days ago.
“This investment is for them, and this investment is for the Bronx,” Sanchez said.
Other city and state officials, including Borough President Vanessa Gibson, joined Sanchez in celebrating the project’s approval.
“With the reimagining of the Kingsbridge Armory, we will see affordable housing opportunities, good-paying union jobs with pathways to the middle class, recreational space for youth and families, support for small businesses, and a true commitment to equitable economic development in the Bronx that we have not seen for decades,” Gibson said in a statement.
Governor Kathy Hochul added that the Kingsbridge Armory will drive economic growth and only strengthen the Bronx. “This project has been decades in the making, and now we’re finally getting it done,” she said in a statement.
Community groups also applauded the vote — especially the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), which negotiated a partial ownership stake in the project.
“From the start of the Together for Kingsbridge process to today’s historic Council vote, we have organized to ensure that the core values of this project reflect the needs of our Bronx community — family-sustaining jobs, community ownership, small business support, and high environmental standards,” said Sandra Lobo, executive director of NWBCCC, in a statement. “Now, thanks to this agreement, the plan for the Kingsbridge Armory is one that we can be proud of.”
Prior to the council vote, the project’s land use application (ULURP) was already approved by Community Board 7, the Landmarks Preservation Commission, Borough President Gibson and the City Planning Commission.
Having passed the council, the application now proceeds to Mayor Eric Adams, who signaled his approval after the vote. “With today’s vote, we begin work on the next chapter in its dynamic history and building a brighter future for the Bronx,” Adams said.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
